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Botje Zandgat is named after Feiko Botjes, who had a farm there in the late 19th century. In 1907, the sand was excavated by hand and used to build the railway line from Zuidbroek to Delfzijl. From the 1950s, this was further mechanised. The sand is mainly used for infrastructure projects. The water is clear blue and in places 40 metres deep, one of the deepest sand excavations in the Netherlands. The sand hole is very popular with divers. The water is very clear and almost Mediterranean blue, due to a high content of glauconite. In 2011, a southern part was closed off with a breakwater; separating the lifeless part from the shallow part Botjes Zwembaai. It has since become a beautiful recreational area.
